General Usage Instructions

This application seamlessly replaces the built-in IFC import and export mechanisms, so users do not have to perform any additional steps while opening, linking or exporting their models to the IFC format using the Revit UI.

Screenshots

Commands

Installation/Uninstallation

The installer that ran when you downloaded this app/plug-in from Autodesk App Store will start installing the app/plug-in. OR, simply double-click the downloaded installer to install the app/plugin.

You may need to restart the Autodesk product to activate the app/plug-in.

To uninstall this plug-in, exit the Autodesk product if you are currently running it, simply rerun the installer, and select the "Uninstall" button. OR, click Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features (Windows 7/8.1/10) and uninstall as you would any other application from your system.

Additional Information

Known Issues

The version of the third party toolkit we use to read and write IFC files has a limit on the maximum size of IFC file it can create. While there is no absolute metric for this, in practice it is about 1.5GB. There is a newer version of the toolkit that removes this limitation, but we don't yet use it.

General:
- This release focused on some additional UI and IFC4 improvements on export. These will be covered in more detail in various help documents.
New Export Functionality:
- Add the ability to import and export custom configuration setups.
- Add the ability to choose the origin of the exported file. There are 4 options:
- Current shared coordinates origin
- Internal Revit coordinates
- Project Base Point
- Site Surve Point
- A number of COBie improvements, including:
- Including the exchange requirement information in the File Header
- A number of IFC4 Reference View improvements, including:
- Export some profile names with geometry when appropriate
- Fix scaling of triangulation coordinates
- Improve export of beam axis
- Restrict use of many disallowed IFC entities and geometries
- Allow remapping of IFC entity attributes in addition to properties.
- Create more associated type entities for IFC objects.
- Consistent ability to override name, object type and description for all entities
- Export connectors even if they aren't connected to other elements.
- Export parts whose host elements are in linked files, whether "Export Parts as Building Elements" is checked or not.
- Improved creation of IFCBUILDING and IFCSITE entities
Export Bug Fixes:
- Fix export of some space with empty Occupant fields.
- Fix relative placement of exported IFC links to the host IFC file.
- Fix unexpected error when exporting a floor as an IfcRamp (for IFC2x3 only).
- Fix unexpected error when exporting a site from a 3D view when exporting the active view geometry (for IFC4 RV only).
- Full French localization for a number of previously hard-coded strings
- Improved calculation of some property set parameters.

18.2.0

General:
•Added extra UI and functionality to make COBie IFC exports easier. Specific improvements will be detailed below.
•TODO: Some of the new fields will be localized to French in a future release.
New Export Functionality:
•Allow curtain wall mullions to export as any supported IFC entity.
•Allow families to export as IfcPile with corresponding IfcPileType.
•Improve export of axis representations for structural elements.
•When exporting schedules as property sets, individual schedules can be excluded from the export by setting the IfcExportAs shared parameter to "Don't Export".
•(COBie) Add COBie Company Information tab in Modify Setup if COBie export is chosen.
•(COBie) Add COBie Project Information tab in Modify Setup if COBie export is chosen.
•(COBie) Improve entity naming for COBie export.
•(COBie) Rename "IFC2x3 Extended FM Handover View" to "IFC2x3 COBie 2.4 Design Deliverable"
•(IFC4) Improve export of material layers.
•(IFC4) Modify Setup has an option to force triangulation only for tessellated outputs.
Export Bug Fixes:
•Allow exporting to IFC while using Collaboration for Revit where the default directory isn't local.
•Better support for MEP type entities, that didn't always export correctly.
•Correct the parameters of the directrix of some IfcSweptSolids.
•Fix correct mapping of IfcBurnerType/IfcGasTerminalType and IfcElectricHeaterType/IfcSpaceHeaterType.
•Fix creation of types for sub-entities of IfcDistributionCOntrolElement.
•Fix offset problem when using the "Export Linked Files as Separate IFCs" option in locales where the decimal mark is not a point.
•(IFC4) Correct names of IFC4 entity quantity sets.
•(IFC4) Fix the name of IfcCommunicationsApplianceType.
Import Bug Fixes:
•Improve heuristic that decides the "best" material to export when we can only assign one material to geometry.
•Stabilize GUIDs of some IfcOpeningElements.
•Stabilize order of creation of geometry with multiple clippings and openings, to have consistent output.

18.1.0

General:
- Minor improvements to the Importer class to make it easier for developers to create a custom Importer.
- We now support the IFC4 Addendum 2 schema. Specific improvements based on that will be listed below. For this update, you will have to manually add the IFC4_Add2.exp file (included with this package), to the EDM subfolder of your Revit Program folder. We will automate this in a future update.
New Export Functionality:
- Allow overriding material names on export by using IfcName shared parameter.
- Expand the use of types for many elements that didn't export types before, including beams (IfcBeamType), curtain walls (IfcCurtainWallType, and types for mullions and panels), and footings (IfcFootingType).
- Improved ability to export some geometry as IfcSweptSolid.
- Try to use axis information, if it exists, when exporting beams and members in addition to columns.
- (IFC4) Better support beam, column, and member base quantities, including weight.
- (IFC4) Collect material information for profiles for beams and columns.
- (IFC4) Expand use of FootPrint representations to columns and slabs.
- (IFC4) Expand use of IfcMaterialLayerSetUsage if the entity has a compound structure in Revit, as allowed by IFC.
- (IFC4) No longer create StandardCase IFC entities, as these have been deprecated (including IfcWallStandardCase).
- (IFC4) Support IfcMaterialConstituent and IfcMaterialProfileSet for a number of elements.
- (IFC4) Use Built-in parameter "Structural_Bend_Dir_Angle" to get "Roll" property for PSet_BeamCommon and PSet_ColumnCommon.
- (IFCAdd2) Support IfcPolygonalFaceSet.
Export Bug Fixes:
- Allow exporting to IFC while using Collaboration for Revit where the default directory isn't local.
- Better support for MEP type entities, that didn't always export correctly.
- Correct the parameters of the directrix of some IfcSweptSolids.
- Fix correct mapping of IfcBurnerType/IfcGasTerminalType and IfcElectricHeaterType/IfcSpaceHeaterType.
- Fix creation of types for sub-entities of IfcDistributionControlElement.
- Fix offset problem when using the "Export Linked Files as Separate IFCs" option in locales where the decimal mark is not a point.
- (IFC4) Correct names of IFC4 entity quantity sets.
- (IFC4) Fix the name of IfcCommunicationsApplianceType.
New Import Functionality:
- Add support for IfcDerivedProfileDef.
- Support IfcRelClassification.
- (IFC4) Support IfcMaterialProfile, IfcMaterialProfileSet, and IfcMaterialProfileSetUsage.
- (IFC4) Support IfcMaterialConstituent and IfcMaterialConstituentSet.
- (IFC4) Support IfcTessellatedFaceSet and IfcPolygonalFaceSet.
- (IFC4) Improve mapping from Roll parameter to structural bend direction angle.
- (API only) Allow for two new options, CreateDuplicateZoneGeometry and CreateDuplicateContainerGeometry, that disable the duplication of geometry for zone elements and containers, respectively.
Import Bug Fixes:
- Better reporting when importing an IFC file with invalid rectangular or circular profiles (e.g., a 0 radius profile).
- Don't show the void geometry when subtracting a void from an empty solid as a result of an IfcBooleanResult calculation.
- Ensure that IFC2x schema files can still be imported.
- Fix import of some IfcSurfaceCurveSweptAreaSolids.